Wet Basement---Gutters or Crack in Foundation

I recently had water seeping into the basement 2 days after a couple of days of heavy rain. No signs of wet walls or ceiling. It was confined to an 8 X 10 area and up also up against the wall.Subsequently, I had gutters cleaned and some interesting debris was found in gutters. No leaves, but there was a large tape measure and a piece of roofing material.I also had two waterproofing companies inspect. One claims I had cracks all over the foundation. The other said that there must be a crack near where the water came in but that he can't see it because the foundation is all underground on that side of the house.My question is: Is it possible that this is a gutter problem. I was advised by one of the waterproofing companies that it couldn't be because the water didn't come in until two days after a torrential downpour......that overflowing gutters would have brought water in immediately. Now I need an unbiased opinion.

Here's what I would do. First, if you need gutters or gutter-replacements, I'd do that first. Make sure your downspout extensions are at least 3' long. Make sure that water isn't pooling near the foundation or running back towards the foundation. Of course, the key is to get the water AWAY from the foundation and to KEEP it away. Also, make sure you have at least a 3" 'drop' in landscape-elevation for the 1st 3' of sloping that abutts the foundation.

As for going to Phase 2, which involves sealing cracks and such, I'd spend a few $$$ and work on Phase 1. In 90% of the cases, the water problem can be 'fixed' by doing the stuff in Phase 1.

As for sealing cracks from the INSIDE - Forget it! Cracks need to be 'managed' from the outside. THAT's where the water source is - outside. You'd want water to put 'pressure' on the OUTSIDE of any 'fix' you make; NOT on the 'inside' of the fix. If you fix your cracks from the inside, water pressure will 'push' within the crack and either make it wider or push out any fill that you've added.

My best to ya and hope this helps.

Jay J -Moderator

PS: God Bless America!

PPS: Sure, it's possible that a few days can go by before water shows up in the house. If the ground is saturated or very hard, it could show up quickly.